SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A11
BOWDEN,
continued from Page A1
“Staff believe this revised
alternative addresses the con-
cerns of both the hearings of-
fi cer and the city engineer and
staff supports this alternative,”
a memo in Monday’s council
packet read.
City staff recommended the
hearings offi cer decision be
overturned.
That’s just what happened
Monday, with a 6-0 vote.
Farrow said afterwards he
was surprised the project was
denied initially.
“We thought previously we
had everything taken care of,”
said Farrow, who was not part
of the effort in 2008 to change
the zoning for the property.
“We wished it had been ac-
cepted (last month), but we met
with with city staff to make it
benefi cial for everyone.”
With the approval Farrow,
who also recently did the Al-
dine Meadows subdivision on
McLeod Lane, hopes to move
forward quickly.
“We hope to start break-
ing ground in the winter, with
buildable lots in the spring,” he
said. “We’re hoping to have the
fi rst homes ready by the end
of next summer or early fall.
PEARSON,
continued from Page A1
“This never should have
happened,” Murphy said. “It’s
so senseless. This act deserves
the extra 10 years because of its
senselessness.”
Family members showed
more compassion while also
stressing the pain.
“Only evil can explain what
you have done,” Brett’s grand-
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We’re very excited. Keizer is a
great place to be, with good ac-
cessibility to the north. Keizer
needed good lots to build on.”
According to plans, the
lots in Bowden Meadows will
range in size from 5,000 to
10,856 square feet.
Councilor Brandon Smith
noted a response from the
Salem-Keizer School District
talked about overcapacity is-
sues at McNary High School
getting worse with the subdi-
vision.
“The staff report says the
capacity is now at 105 percent
and will rise to 107 percent of
capacity,” Smith said. “Where
do we draw the line? If there
are a few more subdivisions,
will we be up to 130 percent?”
Nate Brown, director of
Community
Development
for Keizer, noted that was the
school district’s criteria. He
also noted SKSD can move
boundaries to move students
from one school to another, re-
gardless of city limits.
“That is not a criteria for
the subdivision approval since
we have no way to correct the
issue,” Brown said.
After similar questions from
councilor Dennis Koho, city
attorney Shannon Johnson re-
iterated what Brown stated.
“You can’t deny solely based
on schools,” Johnson said.
There were several ques-
tions asked about stop signs to
be put up in the area.
“The
recommendation
is to stop northbound traf-
fi c on Burbank,” Brown said.
“Through traffi c (on Trent)
would continue.”
Smith was wary of the inter-
sections not lining up.
“To not have stop signs
seems like an accident waiting
to happen,” Smith said.
Brown noted councilors had
the option of adding more stop
signs.
“If you’re convinced the ad-
ditional requirements are good,
you’re well within your ability
to require as such,” he said.
Koho asked Farrow about
adding stop signs.
“Would it cause heartburn if
we had three stop signs?” Koho
asked.
Farrow said he’d have to get
back on that one.
“I’m not an engineer,” he
said. “That’s why I pay one and
you pay yours.”
Smith then asked the same
question to Grenz, who said
adding stops shouldn’t be a
problem.
“That was our original pro-
posal, so no, not a problem,”
Grenz said. “Our client does
not object. Your options are
one, two or three. We wouldn’t
have a problem with that.”
ma Shelia Wahl told him. “I un-
derstand you have made peace
with God. Jesus can forgive. If
He can forgive, how can I not?
But I will never forget the pain
you brought to the family.”
Kim Wahl noted she was best
friends with her sister Michelle,
who came into the family as a
foster child at age 11.
“This has left a big hole in
my heart that such a special
person is gone,” Kim said. “The
domino effect of this single ac-
tion is overwhelming, the im-
pact it’s had on all of our lives.”
Sally Prinz, Michelle’s bio-
logical sister, also spoke.
“(Michelle) was always so
kind and forgiving,” Prinz said.
“I want to be angry, but I want
to do right by her. I want to
forgive and I do. But I don’t
forget what they did. It has
almost destroyed us emotion-
ally...They were young and are
forgiven by me. I hope they can
be helped so by the time they
have served their sentence, they
can be something Michelle
would be proud of at the end.”
Brett’s sister Dana called her
little brother compassionate
and empathetic.
“Brett was good at seeing
people who needed stuff,” Dana
said. “That led him to a group
of people that maybe weren’t
the best choice. He saw their
hurting and was loyal to them. I
don’t think you can judge a life
by a month’s span.”
John Storkel, Brett’s attorney,
said his client was on metham-
phetamine, robbing him of the
ability to be compassionate.
“It’s not a justifi cation or
a defense,” Storkel said. “He
wants to take responsibility for
what he’s done.”
That was indeed the case as
Brett spoke.
“I am sorry for every-
thing that happened, the pain
I caused, what I put people
through,” he said. “My fam-
ily has to live with something
they shouldn’t have to. I was
intoxicated, yes, but that’s no
excuse at all. I take responsibil-
ity for what I’ve done. I’m not
the person this crime makes me
seem to be. I love my mom and
miss her very much.”
Penn recommended Brett
Pearson be sent to Oregon
Youth Authority for the initial
part of his sentence.
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ADOPT,
continued from Page A1
The family had a garage
sale this summer with another
coming up next month. They
are also selling t-shirts.
“When you look at the
numbers, this is a huge step
of faith,” Matt said. “But it
didn’t cross my mind that God
wouldn’t come through. We
know He can provide. There
have been challenges, but it
hasn’t changed our trust and
faith in Him. He’s working
out the details. When He’s
ready, He will allow it to be.”
The Drahns have already
seen some miracles. As part of
the application process, they
had to be honest about issues
such as marital problems and
Matt’s struggles with alcohol.
“He’s gotten the victory in
that,” Matt said of God. “Au-
gust 28 (2014) was the last
sip of alcohol I had and will
ever had. God has completely
changed my desire and my
heart in such a mighty way.
I’ve never been more on fi re
for God than I have right
now.”
TAX,
continued from Page A1
“We’re asking Keizer em-
ployers and employees to help
stop an unfair proposed tax,”
Keizer Chamber executive di-
rector Christine Dieker wrote
in an e-mail promoting next
week’s forum. “Businesses are
being targeted for an employee
payroll tax levied by the Salem-
Keizer Transit District. Please
take a moment to understand
the impact this measure will
have on local small business in
Keizer, if passed. We want to
support our transit district, but
we believe that there are better
and fairer solutions.”
Cherriots offi cials an-
nounced the proposed tax in
late June, after transit directors
approved the ballot measure at
their May 28 meeting. In the
spring, transit directors sur-
veyed members of the public
to gauge support for either a
payroll or property tax to help
pay for transit.
Breea acknowledges the
road is tough.
“Adoption is not for the
faint of heart,” she said. “You
really have to be called. There
are the unknowns, the wait,
the cost, all the paperwork.
That is why we sought God
so much in the beginning.
We didn’t want to commit
to something so big without
knowing for sure. We know
God is able. In the right time
we’ll get the money. But it is
overwhelming. It is scary.”
The Drahns got an anony-
mous $3,500 donation, plus
there was a cool call from
Matt’s cousin in Minnesota.
“He called us and said they
felt being called to give us
their Honda CR-V,” Breea
said, noting she and Matt sold
a vehicle they could no longer
afford. “They paid for our trip
there to pick it up. The car is
in great condition. It’s amaz-
ing to see God work.”
Just to submit a dossier, the
Drahns have to raise $6,000
more.
“That money is needed re-
ally soon,” Breea said. “The
longer we wait to submit, it
extends the wait time. If you
look up families that have
gotten children from Ethiopia,
the average time I’ve seen is
two-and-a-half years.”
Matt noted there was an
unexpected issue: some resis-
tance from family members.
“That was an obstacle we
didn’t expect,” he said. “We
thought it would be well re-
ceived. That was a challenge.
But it came back to remem-
bering why we are here and
why He laid it on our hearts.
He’s going to get the glory
through it all. Our families
have started to come around
to us more. We have seen some
breakthroughs.”
Within their own walls,
family has been on board
from the start. Avery and Pais-
ley light up when asked about
their upcoming brother.
“We’re very transparent
with our girls,” Matt said. “We
love God and talk about God
all the time. We had some cool
fi rst conversations about what
God was stirring in our hearts.
They were both very excited.
They can’t stop talking about
bringing their brother home
and about bunk beds. Their
hearts were ready, too. It’s been
so cool for them to be part of
the process.”
The expanded service
would be phase two of the
transit district’s Moving For-
ward plan. Phase one started
earlier this month with more
frequency on busy routes,
buses running on a consistent
schedule and more cross-town
routes with fewer transfers.
“We asked the commu-
nity what kind of service they
wanted to see. The Moving
Forward system improvement
plan refl ects that feedback,”
Cherriots general manager
Allan Pollock said at the time.
“But, in order to implement
phase two, additional revenue
is required.”
For a business with a pay-
roll of $500,000, the annual tax
would be $1,050. Adding back
Saturday service would be the
fi rst improvement funded.
The Keizer Chamber of
Commerce Government Af-
fairs Committee recently vot-
ed unanimously to campaign
against the employer payroll
tax and wrote an argument
against the tax for the voter’s
pamphlet.
The argument points out
the tax will only be on small
businesses, meaning govern-
mental bodies will be exempt,
even with state government
being the area’s largest em-
ployer. The argument further
notes the tax is double what
is collected from ticket fares,
may double in 10 years with-
out a public vote, could deter
job creation since less money
would be available to create
jobs and could increase costs
for hospitals and medical clin-
ics.
“Our community does not
need another tax on small busi-
nesses during an economic re-
covery already scarce of jobs,”
the argument reads in part.
“This expansion of services is
desired, but should be accom-
plished through a mechanism
that is fair to all, not one that
targets a small segment of our
community. Please stand with
the Keizer Chamber against
this unprecedented and unfair
funding mechanism that is de-
cidedly not good for keeping
jobs in the area.”